Adventures of Captain William Cummins of Hull

On this day in 1475 William Cummins set sail from Hull aboard the Rainbow with a crew of twenty-three. His destination was North Africa in which goods such as ivory, gold would be traded for gunpower, pistols and fighting axes However, shortly after reaching Cape Palms, the crew broke into munity.

What inspired this voyage was a misfortunate event which led to William Cummins crossing paths with notorious pirate of the day, Captain Jinks. Jinks had been a menace to merchant shipping in the North Sea, capturing any vessel he could. This led to The King (Edward IV) sending two ships to finally intercept Jinks and bring him to justice.

As a young man, Cummins was looked up to his uncle who had gone to sea. Cummins was apprenticed to Thomas Kingsley, a master mariner of Hull. It was aboard the Speedy, a costal vessel that William got his first taste of life at sea. Unfortunately, the Speedy foundered off Heligoland. All hands were lost, except for Cummings and an old sailor named Michael Shepherd. Keeping themselves afloat by clinging on to a piece of the wrecked Speedy, William and Shepherd were picked up by the Tyger, commanded by Captain Jinks.

Soon the two ships dispatched by King Henry were upon the Tyger and a battle ensued. All but Jinks, William and Shepherd abandoned the Tyger. Faced with little hope of escape, Jinks took the decision to blow up the Tyger by setting fire to the power stores aboard.

The decision was made to load the last boat with what supplies they could carry. Also, to be loaded on the boat was a heavy box that Jinks attached great value too. As the boat was lowered below, Jinks ordered Cummins and Shepherd to get in. Jinks also got in the boat but not before setting light to the Tyger’s power room. Jinks, Cummins, and Shepherd were a couple hundred yards away when the Tyger exploded. Jinks’s actions were to be his last. The explosion propelled an object into the air, presumably a part of the Tyger which struck Jinks on the head killing him instantly.

Cummins and Shepherd managed to avoid the King’s ships and snook away. Landing at Penzance they made their way back to Hull. Both never spoke about their encounter with Jinks, instead declaring they’d been spared from the Speedy, wandering Europe before securing a passage back to Hull. With Jinks’s booty Cummins found it hard to resist the temptation for more, and on 8 August 1475 he sailed for North Africa board the Rainbow. With him was his old crew mate, Michael Shepherd.

It was whilst Cummins and Shepherd were trading with the North Africans that a mutiny broke out. Busting into the negotiations, two of the mutineers were shot by Cummins and Shephard, the rest fled into the surrounding woods. Cummins and Shepherd quickly re-joined the Rainbow, managing to stave off another attack by the mutineers. The mutineers were drive below deck. One determined not to die in lonely fashion, set fire to the Rainbow. Soon the ship was doomed, overcome with flames. Those few that remained loyal to Cummins and Shepherd quickly took to Rainbow's the long boat and went ashore. Those driven below deck died on the Rainbow, whilst those who fled into the woods were hunted down by North African’s.

Cummins, Shepherd, and those who remained loyal decided to draw lots and use the remaining longboat of which just half could fit into and make way for Europe to seek rescue. Shepherd and five others left together with 500 ounces of gold-dust to buy vessel suitable to return and recuse the remaining crew, including Cummins.

In April the following year [1476] Shepherd returned to Hull, declaring that Cummins was dead. The reality was Shepherd had double crossed his old sailing buddy. It was said Shepherd  became blinded by the riches, for which he and he alone should have.

Hull as it would have looked to William Cummins and Michael Shepherd during the late 15th century

Cummins however was somewhat suspicious of his old sea mate. He had secretly given a letter to one of those that left on the longboat with Shepherd. The letter was to be delivered to Cummins wife back in Hull.

In June of 1476 Shepherd was determined to seek out treasures on his own account. Despite having secured a ship, Shepherd was yet to fully pay for it. He tried to get Cummins’s wife to advance him some money, but she refused. Continuing to declare Cummins dead, Shepherd insisted there was no message from him.

Unknown to Shepherd the letter was safely delivered to Cummins wife. The letter confirmed that Cummins was indeed still alive when Shepherd left for help. It also warned Cummins wife that Shepherd was not to be trusted.

In the mean-time Shephard was busy attempting to secure funds to finance his expedition. A young slim, handsome gentleman by the name of James Carr came to Shepherd's aid, promising to stump up the money if he could tag along with the expedition. Shepherd happily agreed and expedition left on Midsummer Day, 1476 for North Africa.

Upon arrival in North Africa it turned out James Carr was in fact the wife of Cummins who had been disguised. Re-united with her husband, she and Cummins set off for Hull. Despite an encounter with a French pirate ship, another mutiny and storms, Cummins arrived safely back in Hull. He became rich through trading with the Levant, while one of his sons commanded a supply ship belonging to Francis Drake squadron in the fight with the Spanish Armada.

As for Michael Shepherd, he met his end in North Africa, killed it was said by the North African traders for mistreating women and stealing goods.

This account appears in Walter Wood’s North Sea Fisheries and Fighters [Ref: L.639.22]. We don’t know whether the story is true, made up or elements have been dramatized. It is however the only reference we have in archives at the History Centre. Whether true or not, it does appear a rather fanciful but interesting story.

Title page of Walter Wood's North Sea Fishers and Fighters, which recalls the adventures of Captain William Cummins 
[Ref: L.639.22]

This wasn’t the only adventure to begin in Hull. Although a work of fiction, Defoe used Hull as the starting point of Robinson Crusoe. A century after Cummins, Hull mariner, James Hall, made voyages, financed by Christian IV of Demark to reassert Danish claim to Greenland in response to increased activities of English and Dutch ships in the Arctic, while in the early 17th century Hull Luke Fox sailed from Hull in an attempt to discover the North-West Passage.

Neil Chadwick

Librarian/Archivist